The best way to add value to a property is to add floor space. If you want to supercharge your home equity, adding a two-floor extension complete with an extra bedroom is the best way to invest your money.
The more value you can squeeze from the extension-building process, the better your return on investment. Here are some top tips you cannot afford to miss that will help you maximise the value of your home.
Work With The Surrounding Environment
The best home extensions look like they have been there all along, fitting in seamlessly with the rest of the house and sympathetic to its environment. The style and materials you use will contribute a lot to how the extension fits in with the rest of the property and the other homes in the area.
How you build, and the steps you take to protect the ecology that surrounds the extension will decide the impact it has on the environment. All building works, whether residential, commercial, or industrial, have to assess the surrounding environment and take steps to limit the negative impact it could have on local ecology. This includes both plants and animals.
In residential areas, there can be more wildlife than you may think living in and around houses. There are many species of bat that can nest in residential areas, and an extension could impact their habitat. If you live in an area with a native group of bats, you may be required to have a bat survey conducted before you start your build, especially if you a renovating an old property or one near a woodland.
Batsurveys.co.uk can conduct a full bat survey of your property, looking for signs of bats and their roosting sites. Their fast surveys can prevent costly delays in the building process by conducting both daylight and nocturnal surveys during bat season.
Invest In Experts
Every building project is a complex operation, from the planning phase all the way to the final finishing touches. Many people try to project manage their own property extension, but the money they save from taking on this responsibility often leads to delays or increased supply costs on top of the added stress.
The smartest investment you can make when building an extension to a home is to hire an experienced building project manager to oversee the work. This makes you the client, not the manager, reducing the amount of stress and disruption the build causes you. It also gives you the time you need to concentrate on keeping the household running while someone else keeps the building work on track.
Project managers can often help pay with their contacts in the construction industry, giving access to better value prices on materials. The biggest saving a building project manager gives you is time. Not only do you have more time in your day-to-day life, but they also cut down on delays.
The logistics of supplying a building site, even on a small extension, can cause delays while workers wait for the materials you need. Wasted time is wasted money, project managers keep the site busy and the materials flowing.
Get Friendly With The Neighbours
Having a building site outside your home will be disruptive and not just to you. Depending on the location of your extension, access points to the site, and the scale of machinery used, your neighbours could experience a lot of disruption too. Get ahead of the problem and make sure you are on good terms. Keep them informed of your plans and ask for their input.
You should be open to their ideas or concerns and do what you can within reason to take their comments on board and adjust your plans. Without their patience and cooperation, there could be delays to your build from legal challenges, adding considerably to the costs. Their help and understanding could lead to savings too. Access can be a problem for site machinery or deliveries, and they may allow you to use parts of their property to save time, saving you money.
There will be times when your building site is a noisy place. Digging, hammering, and moving machinery can all be very loud. Make sure you prepare your neighbours ahead of time. It is always a good idea to invite them to see the finished product and think of an appropriate gift to use as a way to say thank you.
Pay Close Attention To The Paperwork
From the early days of the planning process to getting insurance for the build and your new property extension, make sure you keep on top of the paperwork and keep it in good order. This is incredibly important when applying for planning permission from local authorities and when budgeting your build and covering the costs. You will have to do some bookkeeping to prevent your budget from spiralling out of control.
Building project managers can help you here again, especially with planning permission paperwork. It may be the first time you have been through the process, but they have had to do it many times before. Their knowledge and experience are resources that you need to make the most of to get better value from their fee and to ensure you have satisfied the demands of both local and national legislation.
Depending on the size and value of your build, you may want to consider hiring an accountant. Keeping track of costs and taking care of tax liabilities can be stressful, and mistakes can be expensive. Using the services of a qualified accountant with experience in this kind of project can be time-saving as well as stress-reducing. This can save you money in the long run.
With the right help from the start, you can reduce the time and money it takes to add a home extension. Investing in people is as important as investing in your property. Many hands make light work, and with the help of your neighbours, surveyors, a project manager and an accountant, you can make extending your home quick, stress-free, and cost-effective.
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